CP Sportsman

Jordan, the 22-year old newly licensed A/Fuel Dragster driver, doesn't remember sitting in his uncle Bob Vandergriff's Top Fuel dragster for the first time back in 1998. However, he remembers grabbing "seat time" in his Uncle's dragster every opportunity he could while growing up.

So, at the Division 2’s National Open events this season Shaefer is going to try and fill the void left by IHRA’s move.

Schaefer said at seven Division 2 National Open events, Super Street, Super Gas, Super Comp, Stock, Super Stock, Top Sportsman, Top Dragster and Junior Dragster classes will compete on the eighth-mile. There will no Comp cars and Top Alcohol cars running the eighth-mile at the Division 2 National Open events.

When talking about contenders for the 2017 Top Alcohol Funny Car contenders for the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world champions, Shane Westerfield wasn’t at the top of that list.

“We have all the right equipment, we have good motors, we had good race cars, a good body, we have all the equipment and the capability of doing it, it is just putting it all together and trying and win a championship,” said Westerfield in an interview Jan. 16 on WFO radio. “To be honest, it was so far out there with thinking that (winning a world championship) could ever happen. Usually we are shooting to be in the top five in points every year, so to do what we did and the way we started out it was unreal. That was motivation to keep going and not try and lose.”

Westerfield won his first coveted Top Alcohol Funny Car world title with 709 points, followed by John Lombardo Jr.’s 679-point total and Doug Gordon, who was at 638 points.

There's an old saying which suggests a person can be a jack of old trades and master of none.

Tyler Crossnoe, 25, realized the validity of this statement not too long ago.

Crossnoe, in the first decade of his drag racing involvement, has already dabbled with life as a racer, race promoter, strip manager and traction prep specialist. Recently, the PDRA named Crossnoe as their track prep specialist.

"Yeah, that reality became very clear for me," Crossnoe admitted. "I kind of took a back seat on some of them and started to really try to focus on the track prep side of things for the last couple years. I tried to harness that down as far as that being the fulltime job and everything else just kind of being on the side."

VP Racing Fuels has launched its new 3 Gallon Motorsportsman™ Container which is available immediately through the VP distribution network and at VPRacingFuels.com. This handy sized container is excellent for storage and transport of water, automotive fluids, agricultural products, rock salt, as well as petroleum absorbents. In addition, they are great for mixing animal attractants as well as herbicides, insecticides and much more!

Matt Czerny and his Mullins Dragster are currently leading the way in the Modified ranks of the 2017/2018 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series, which will enjoy its seventh round this weekend at Portland’s South Coast Raceway (January 20/21).

At the South Coast 660 event, Czerny and his crew will be looking for their maiden Modified event win in what is their first season in the bracket, with their spot on the top of the points tally coming by virtue of the consistency they have enjoyed so far.

“It’s been a lifelong dream to complete a full season. This is our first season in Modified (he previously ran in Super Street) – we intended on racing all rounds and that’s what we will do,” said the 32 year old graphic designer from Beveridge (Victoria).

The idea had merit, but in the long run, lacked longevity and support.

Former IHRA President Billy Meyer had the vision to simplify sportsman drag racing, and in one fell sweep kicked the popular Modified, Super Stock and Stock eliminators to the curb They were replaced by indexed bracket divisions ranging from 7.90 to 12.90 indexes.

Meyer wanted to simplify the explanation of grassroots racing to the casual race fan.

Back in the 1970s, long before any of the Super class racing existed, sportsman drag racers sought an affordable style of racing where they could race heads-up, with no breakout and do so on a pounds-per-cubic inch basis similar to their class racing. Their wants eventually led to the creation of Super Modified, the original 10.5 tire form of racing.

Not so far removed from the 1974 U.S. Energy crisis, class racers, then the only option for national event sportsman racing, had begun to feel the sting of extreme operating costs. Many opted for the new craze of the time, bracket racing, while a good number remained true to their craft seeking creative ways to preserve the only kind of racing they knew.

As was the case with many of the good ideas of the era, the plan began on a scratch sheet of paper and through the support of a major magazine became reality.

Car Craft Magazine presented the Super Modified concept in their July 1974 issue.